GENDER ISSUES PART II

GODLY WOMANHOOD

A BRIEF SCRIPTURAL OVERVIEW

Yesterday I promised at the end of our devotion that we would spend some time defining Biblical expectations of each gender. Today we'll start that process by looking at 4 verses that deal with Godly womanhood. The passages are not in any particular order of importance, because all these characteristics are things to strive for!

1. Proverbs 31:30- "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised."

Ok, maybe I wasn't accurate, number 1 really is number 1 in importance. This verse comes out of the famous "perfect wife" chapter, Proverbs 31. In that chapter all sorts of activities this wonderful woman does are described, but at the very end, the author says of all the things that were impressive about her, this was the real foundation to it all. A Godly Woman begins and ends her day with a fear and love for God. Above her own beauty, and above her own charm, what really matters is her relationship to the Lord.

2. Proverbs 11:16- "A gracious woman gets honor, and violent men get riches."

Ok, why in the world would I quote this Proverb? Only to accent the importance of graciousness from a woman. It is a general truism not only in Scripture, but in the rest of life, that a gracious woman will receive honor, just as it is generally true in life that men of violence end up rich (think Don Corleone). Peter in chapter 3 of his first epistle mentions how godly it is for a woman to carry herself in a gracious tone to the rest of the world around her.

3. Proverbs 11:22- "Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman without discretion."

The less modest, the more piggy. Godly women strive for modesty. They do not look to show off what they got. They are not going to find their security in a stranger's eyes being drawn to their beauty, but rather will find their security in the gaze of their heavenly Father. 1 Peter 3 says,

Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves

4. Proverbs 21:19- It is better to live in a desert land than with a quarrelsome and fretful woman.

A godly woman is going to try and not be argumentative, yelling, nagging and screaming. The more a woman does fret and quarrel, the more unattractive she becomes to everyone around her, not just men.

We'll continue this list tomorrow, because there's still much more to be written....

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

Why We Must Pray

Persistently Praying from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

In the World’s Eyes, A Dismal Failure

Here is an encouraging story submitted to The Gospel Coalition's Ordinary Pastors Project.

This is the story of an ordinary pastor who loved much.

It’s also a story of sheep and wolves, of youthful idealism meeting the cynical establishment, of how the gospel affected both.

When a fresh-faced, 29-year-old pastor arrived in a one-church town in rural Pennsylvania with his wife and small children, he came committing to live and die there. He came dedicating his life and energies, trusting God to care for him as he cared for them. What he came to was a flock living in fear of dominating personalities, leadership themselves too fearful to stand against the abuse, and a long-standing commitment to the status quo.

But there was work to be done, so he rolled up his sleeves and dug in. His days were filled with prayer, visiting the sick, hospitality, counseling, and study. He wasn’t perfect. He made mistakes. At times, he sinned. But he preached the truth of Christ to them and lived the love of Christ among them.

Predictably, his ministry conflicted with the powers that be and soon met with personal slander and financial manipulation. His family was subjected to the disgrace of food stamps and welfare. Yet he persisted, captured by the promise that God’s Word does not return empty. Perhaps one more day, one more conversation, one more something.

Finally one day he turned to his wife and simply said, “You and I suffer from Messiah-complexes, and there’s only one Savior.”

It was enough. God would care for his sheep. He needed to care for his family. So with heavy heart, he drafted his resignation and submitted it to the ruling board. It was met with cool indifference.

As a last pastoral act, he determined to visit the membership personally to explain why he needed to leave them. Love demanded nothing less than to look each in the eye, thank them for their faithfulness, and commit their families to the hand of the Father. What he found was a congregation fundamentally changed by the gospel. Years of spiritual neglect and abuse had broken.

“Please don’t leave,” they pleaded. “You are our pastor. You are our shepherd. No one has ever cared for us like you have.”

Testimonies of marriages restored, lives rescued by Christ, and hearts alive with grace poured forth. Where fear once dominated, the power and courage of Christ had taken root.

For three long, complicated years, he had loved, fought for, and protected the flock. For three long, complicated years, he had preached Christ. For three long, complicated years, he thought that nothing had changed.

He was wrong.

Truthfully, for some nothing had. Their hearts had been hardened to the same sweet gospel rain that had watered the sprouts of grace in so many others. And in the end, without repentance and a structure for dealing with sin, there was no way to save the organization. The ruling personalities dug in, choosing to remove the pastor from the pulpit for the remainder of his tenure. The congregation, in turn, voted with their feet, choosing to leave what for many of them was the only church they had ever known, eventually committing themselves and their families to other true shepherds of the gospel.

If success were measured in structures and organizations, his ministry was a dismal failure. But gospel success is not measured this way; it is measured in lives changed and redeemed; it is measured in captives being set free and in judgment brought on oppressors.

Remember this, ordinary pastor: Gospel success is God’s faithfulness to his Word; it is his promise to build his church; and it is his commitment to not overlook your work and love in service to his saints. Remember this ordinary pastor, and be encouraged.

* * *

TGC’s Ordinary Pastors Project seeks to find wisdom and honor in faithfulness, demonstrated in varied contexts. Learn more from the introduction by Matt B. Redmond. If you’d like to honor and encourage the ordinary pastor who shaped you, tell us about him in about 500 words and include a photo, or record a video testimonial of five minutes or less and send the link to ordinarypastors@thegospelcoalition.org. This submission came anonymously from a pastor’s wife.

The Already and the Not Yet

The End is Near from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

"Male and Female He created them...."

GENDER ISSUES

Gender distinctions seems to be such a thing of the past... . We may not have realized it, but Gender distinctions and any sort of traditional roles for males and females have been dispensed with some years ago. The days of the male being the primary "breadwinner" and the Mother being the "homemaker" are not the norm now (most of you undoubtedly know this, since you either were raised by working Mom's, are a working Mom or are being raised currently by a working Mom.) Both parents are the breadwinners, and both parents the homemakers. Females in this country are more educated than males. In many scenarios, it is the female who is bringing home the bread so to speak, while the male stays at home. The economic structure of our country has come closer and closer to placing no inherent value on one's gender and their ability to get the job done.

Frankly, we have to acknowledge that many of these changes in the broader society have real benefit. Women should have been given equal rights in the workplace, the polling booth and any other area of life. It's good that women canmake a living out in the workplace and don't have to just be dependent upon a man. We just can't help but take things too far in one direction or the other though.

With this background, it was natural that the culture might stop seeing the importance of gender at all. What difference does it make whether one is born so called "female" or so called "male?" Just a few years ago, advances in sociological studies seemed to show that most everything about us came from how we were raised. The theory went, "Raise a girl with trucks, she'll like trucks; raise a boy with dolls, he'll like dolls." Their gender has nothing to do with what they may or may not be interested in (Anyone who actually has children knows this sort of thinking only could be held by someone working in a lab, rather than living with actual children, but now even Science backs up what human beings have always known: Men and Women are different.) What's the result?

Lady Gaga.

I'm assuming most of you have not heard much about Lady Gaga. She's a pop singer who has become increasingly a symbol of modern gender confusion. She is a woman, who dresses like, and presents herself as, a male transvestite. A while back rumors floated all over that indeed she may really be a man! And she didn't confirm or deny for quite some time, playing with the whole thing, because that's part of her/his appeal. She now has come completely "out of the closet" declaring herself to be, guess what? Bi-Sexual. I know, shocking.

Let's just take a step back and ask ourselves "What does the Bible say about Gender differences?" We'll start with one verse today:

Genesis 1:27- "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them."

What does the text say? At creation, God made a "distinction" between male and female. Why did He create female? "Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Man would not be good on his own. And apparently man would not be good with just another man or a buddy around... he needed someone distinct from him, and yet like him. The same holds true for the woman: She needed someone like her, but distinct from her.

Male and Female with all their innate differences (and yes there are many) were created to compliment one another. How does this happen? Tomorrow we'll take a look at that by discussing how each gender can cultivate the characteristics he or she is called to have from God's word.

Confusion and Chaos?!

A BIBLICAL VIEW OF GENDER & SEXUALITY

I'm really tired of hearing the word "post-modern." Not because of what it is necessarily (though that's tired too), but because the word's just played out beyond belief. Everyone in academia, pop culture and now mainstream Christian culture uses the buzzword so much that it's become nearly meaningless (I guess that's fitting since that is the central tenet of post-modern thinking; nothing has any inherent meaning). That being said, I'm not creative enough to come up with a new word, so it has to work for now....

If there is anything to me that is a clear sign of the "postmodern culture" (remember "no meaning") we live in, it is the mass confusion and silly statements made regarding gender and sexuality. We've heard statements like, "There's no difference between genders besides physical parts." LOL.

One professor I heard about declared that there was not 1, not 2, not 3, but count them, 7 different genders! LOL if it wasn't so depressing!

Sexuality, depending on who you talk to, is either fixed from birth (Gay Activist Groups, everything coming out of Hollywood for at least a generation) or extremely flexible (Gay Activist Groups, Kinsey, Drug Addicts). "Sexual mores, norms and expectations are a thing of the past, and only those trying to oppress your freedom make such rules." Therefore, when it comes to sex there is nothing moral or immoral about it. The only rule our culture stands by when it comes to sex is "wear a condom; protect yourself." That last word there, "yourself" is really what sex is all about now anyway right? What makes me feel good? What do I want? Who am I attracted to now?

Ok, so now I've picked on the culture's errors when it comes to gender & sexuality. Now comes the Church: The Church has been a place throughout most of its history that has treated women poorly. Yes, Jesus was revolutionary for His fair treatment of women, but His Church did not follow suit very often. Women were often treated like chattel and were used and abused while scandalous men used the Bible to seemingly back up their abuse! Often times because of the Church's influence, women were not allowed to work, not allowed to vote, and were forced to stay home doing the "women's work" (cooking, cleaning, and raising children).

When it comes to sexuality, the Church has been really bad at teaching biblically on this too. From near the church's earliest days, asceticism became an accepted means of achieving "higher spiritual planes" in the Christian life. Therefore, people should mortify the desires of the body. One of the ways we mortify of course is by not having sex! The Church, instead of teaching what Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 7 (that husband and wife should have sex all the time for the benefit of their relationship), abandoned it to teach monkish nonsense from the halls of Greece and Egypt. Sex came to be seen as only usable and advisable for the purpose of childbirth. "Sex for enjoyment ought not be done; it's dirty!" This false, unbiblical view of sex of course was rebelled against, first by Protestants when they allowed Pastors to marry, and secondly by the culture at large. The Protestants sought to hold on to a Biblical view of sex (not very well I might add), and the culture did not.

What's the point in all this discussion? Just this: The Culture's a mess in their view of these things, but the Church gave them plenty of ammunition. Let's say next week, we spend some time trying to get a really biblical view of Gender and then move on to what the Bible says about Sex. Sound good?

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

"The Consequences of Ideas" by Dr. R.C. Sproul

Below is a free copy of R.C. Sproul's "The Consequences of Ideas" from Google Books. Here is the synopsis from Ligonier Ministries' website:

The greatest thinkers of all time are impacting us still. From public-policy decisions and current laws to world events, theology, the arts, education, and even conversations between friends, history’s most influential philosophies have wrought massive consequences on nearly everything we see, think, and do.

Thus it is critical for Christians to understand the ideas that are shaping them. The greater their familiarity with the streams of thought that have saturated Western culture through the ages, the greater their ability to influence this culture for Christ.

With The Consequences of Ideas, now in paperback, R. C. Sproul expertly leads the way for thoughtful readers. Tracing the contours of Western philosophy from the ancients to the molders of modern and postmodern thought—including Plato, Aquinas, Descartes, Kant, and Freud—Sproul proves that ideas are not just passing fads; they endure for generations to come and demand our serious attention.

This will stretch your brain a bit. Enjoy!

GOD'S WELFARE? PART III

GOD'S WELFARE? PART III

WHO SHOULD I GIVE TO?

Yesterday we set up the ultimate Biblical Standard for helping the poor which was twofold:

1. Presence- Feeding and healing the physical needs of the poor

2. Preaching- Feeding and healing the spiritual needs of the poor.

We discussed how if the two aren't together than we really have an incomplete vision of Christian generosity. There is no fight between the two, but rather one should always serve the other.

What relief organizations have tried to find the balance here? Below I'll list 5 organizations that I believe are pretty close to the mark:

1. Lutheran Brethren International Mission- This is our denomination's world mission wing and it really does do great work. The gospel is preached, and people are fed.

2. Living Water International- This group focuses on providing clean water for extremely impoverished areas that have no access to such a necessity. And they do all this "in the name of Jesus."

3. Operation Christmas Child- As a Church we've contributed to this organization for many years. The concept is simple: We give a present for Christmas time to the poor in another country. The organization preaches the gospel to the recipients.

4. World Vision- This organization really has had staying power; their reach has spread far and wide. There has been some question as of late about their balance when it comes to the preaching part, but as far as I know they still do send people with the hope of converting locals to Jesus.

5. First Lutheran Food Pantry- Every 2nd and 4th FRIDAY (from 3-5) and SATURDAY (from 7:30-11) of the month, our host Church is literally feeding hundreds of people in the central Fontana area. Support this ministry with your money and time!

There are a number of other great organizations that deserve mention, but space does not permit. At least here you have a starting point.

Isaiah 58:6-8-

6 “Is not this the fast that I choose to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? 8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

Who. Is. Jesus?

Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

GOD'S WELFARE? PART II

FINDING THE BALANCE

In our last devotion we talked about the Christian's obligation to care for the poor in some way or another. It will not do just to tell the poor among us (and for that matter in the rest of the world), "I'll pray for you" without helping them in some material way, if we have any means to do so. (1 John 3:17-18).

And yet helping the poor isn't as easy as it might seem. It may make us feel good to give the homeless a few bucks, but is there not some aching feeling that what we're doing is only enabling them to continue bad habits? Are we really helping someone when we just give them money? Then what? I guess we can find an organization that is dedicated to helping the poor, but that's not so easy either right? Which organization is trustworthy and truly will use the funds given to them to help the poor and not line their pockets? Which organizations are overwhelmed with overhead? Who has the time to really do the fact-checking?

How should we as Christians go about fighting poverty? Lesslie Newbigin, a Missionary in India for years, had a great deal to say about how we should reveal the kingdom to the world. He offers two words of instruction that must go hand in hand if we Christians are to be Biblically faithful:

1. Presence- This is the part of our calling that indeed does show itself to the world through good deeds, especially for the poor. Throughout the gospels and the book of Acts, we see the Church bringing healing, food and physical refreshment to the communities they visit. When Jesus came he did not merely tell them He was the Bread of Life, but fed them first physical bread to eat! The presence of God was seen through the good works (or signs) done. However, the good works alone were never enough. Signs always point to Something! Newbigin writes,

"So words without deeds are empty, but deeds without words are dumb. It is stupid to set them against each other. It is, for example, stupid to say: "The one thing that matters is to go everywhere and preach the gospel; all other activities such as schools and hospitals and programs for social action are at best merely auxiliary and at worst irrelevant." Why should people believe our preaching that the kingdom of God has come near in Jesus if they see no sign that anything is happening as a result, if they can see no evidence that disease and ignorance and cruelty and injustice are being challenged and overcome? Why should they believe our words if there is nothing happening to authenticate them?"

2. Proclamation- Along with good works for our neighbors, always, always, always there was a proclamation of some sort telling them where these good works came from. They are (good works and preaching) never separated in the Gospels. We do things for the poor in the name of Jesus. Newbigin again:

"On the other hand, it is equally stupid to say: "Preaching is a waste of time. Forget it and get on with tackling the real human problems of poverty, injustice and oppression." That is to repeat the folly of the people who are fed in the desert (when Jesus fed the 5,000). It is to confuse the sign with the the thing it points to. Our best programs are not the kingdom of God; they are full of our pride and ambition- as the world easily sees. But apart from these obvious inconsistencies, we surely know that human beings have a greater and more glorious destiny than even the best of our programs can offer. To a hungry man a good meal looks like heaven; when he has eaten he knows that it is not. We know that our true life is beyond our grasp, and we are deceived when we invest all our hopes, and encourage others to invest all their hopes, in programs that do not reach beyond the horizon of this present age."

So then who are the groups that have found the proper balance when it comes to helping the poor? Tomorrow, I will give a list of at least 5 organizations that I'm convinced are both Present and Proclaiming that we can confidently work alongside with...

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

GOD'S WELFARE?

CHRISTIANS AND THE PROBLEM OF POVERTY

I want to state two facts as plainly as I can:

1. Every Christian is called in some way to care for the poor. Period.

Biblical basis? Psalm 35:10, Psalm 41:1, Psalm 72, Proverbs 14:20-21, Proverbs 14:31, Proverbs 17:5, Proverbs 19:17 (Because there are so many references in the Old Testament, I am limiting my citations to these two books, but if I wanted to I could write a list of literally hundreds more verses)

In the New Testament there is Matthew 5, Luke 6, 1 John 3:16-18, James 1:27 just to name a few. It is absolutely clear: As Christians we must care about the poor not just in the rest of the world, but right on our doorstep. We are called to actively seek the poor's welfare.

With that being said....

2. Christians are not obligated to follow any one policy prescription to fight poverty.

Care about poverty we must; fight poverty in some way we must. But when it comes to the how of fighting poverty, there are many different alternatives. One Christian thinks that we should raise the minimum wage in this country to help the poor. Another Christian thinks raising the minimum wage is a terrible idea because it just causes companies to hire less employees, and therefore less people in that wage bracket have jobs, etc. Both men are Christians loved by God desiring to alleviate poverty, they just disagree about the best method to do it. The tension, the disagreement, the debating is good; this is how the best ideas are formed!

So what's the problem? The problem comes when Christians on both sides of the political aisle begin to make the claim that because one person holds a certain view of how to alleviate poverty, that therefore they don't care (or they care more) about the poor. For example, let's say one Christian in the name of helping the poor wants to extend unemployment benefits for another six months. Another Christian comes along and says he won't support that because he thinks it may end up doing more harm than good, or something to that end. Instead he supports giving more tax breaks to charitable organizations who help the unemployed find jobs.

Well, the first Christian says, "How can you be against helping the unemployed by extending their benefits?! That doesn't sound like a very Christian attitude to me?!" The second Christian says, "God says we're called to be good stewards with our money, and I just don't think it's the best use of our money to extend benefits! How can you be so irresponsible with money and call yourself a Christian?!!?"

I wish I could say that this sort of conversation is pure nonsense and would never happen, but of course we've seen arguments play out between Christians just like this right?

Here's what should be our guiding principle: Unless God clearly says in His Word which policy He prefers, than don't say it's a "Christian Policy." God doesn't tell us the best way in the 21st century to get rid of poverty in Zimbabwe or North Korea. We must use the best of our reason to figure things like this out. The question we should ask before we start thinking up ways to systemically fight poverty is "What will work best to fight poverty without compromising other Biblical principles?" Not "what will make me feel good," or "what will make others happy," but "Is this a wise way to actually help poor people?"

Next week we'll talk a little bit about some organizations that are doing great work to help the poor, and for that matter give you ways that you can get involved....

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

GOD'S SCIENCE?

WHY CHRISTIANS OUGHT NOT BE AFRAID OF SCIENCE, BUT SHOULDN'T ACCEPT EVERYTHING IT SAYS

If there's one thing we learn from watching the News, the Discovery channel, the History channel, reading Newspapers, Magazines and Blogs, it is that Christianity and Science are bitter foes. In one corner you have the extremes of the New Atheists (Christopher Hitchens, Daniel Dennet, Sam Harris, etc.) that constantly bring up examples like Galileo, Copernicus and other Illuminati whose ideas were not initially accepted by the Church. Add to that mix any number of Fundamentalists that loudly claim dinosaurs and humans walked together, and well, you have the proof to show that Christians are hostile to science.

On the other hand, you do have Christians that refuse to believe anything from the science world unless it is found in the pages of the Bible. Therefore, some Christians, to varying degrees, would reject medicine, because after all, the Bible tells us to pray not "take two of these and call me in the morning." Other Christians insist that the earth is only 10,000 years old. Now, one may hold to that view with no problem whatsoever; the problem comes when one says that this is the only "Christian view" as is often strongly implied by those who hold to it.

Folks, there is an axiom when it comes to science that I heard R.C. Sproul once say (I'm sure he got it from someone else) that has been helpful to me: "All truth is God's truth." Period. There is not science truth, and spiritual truth, there is just Truth. Jesus Himself said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life."

We need not be afraid of science, nor should we accept every theory that comes out of the scientific world. Where science does not directly contradict a claim of Scripture then we may grant its possible truthfulness. Where science does seem to contradict a claim of Scripture, we ought to look at the Scripture again and see if there is any way these two conflicting ideas can be brought together. Have we, as was the case with Galileo and Copernicus, misinterpreted Scripture to say something it wasn't actually saying? Did Scripture really ever say all the universe revolved around Earth? No, but based on long-held ideas about Man's supremacy over the created order it was assumed that it made sense for all the universe to revolve around us. When the facts came out, the Church eventually saw that indeed there was no contradiction between what science found and what Scripture spoke.

Obviously, the most hot button issue for quite some time has been the topic of Evolution. There the Church and the majority of Scientists have had great disagreement about the origins of the universe. If Science postulates something that it can never scientifically postulate (as Stephen Hawking seems to have done this last week), that the universe came into existence from No-thing, by No-thing, and continues to be governed by No-thing, than Christians obviously cannot ever agree. By our very nature as Christians we believe the universe was created from No-thing, by Some-thing, and is constantly governed by Some-thing, namely the Creator God. These two views cannot be reconciled. But you see at this point we are no longer talking science at all, we are talking about philosophy; the Scientist by making this claim has moved from the realm of what science tells us (by using the Scientific method e.g. something that can be tested), to philosophical speculation. They are now making an argument for the Philosophy of Naturalism (the idea that only what one finds in nature is real, true and existent, with no actual evidence for such a claim).

However, if a Scientist were to say, "I believe based on our evidence that the best explanation for how all of us got here was through a process of Evolution" without making the leap to saying, "therefore there is no god," than we may at least be able to look at the claims and examine them in light of Scripture. Could Scripture allow for a God guided Evolution of the species? Does Scripture allow for the universe to be older than 10,000 years old? You see now we're in dialog, rather than a fight. We are seeking Truth. We are open to the possibility that we as Church folk could have misinterpreted Scripture's teaching.

That being said, I personally believe the answer to the two questions above is a mixed bag:

1. No, I don't think Scripture allows for even a God guided evolutionary process (Adam and Eve being real people just seems to fly in the face of so much modern Evolutionary theory), but I am open to the possibility since there are a number of great Christian theologians who do hold this view (Tim Keller, Bruce Waltke, etc.) that I am missing something in my interpretation of Scripture.

2. Yes, I do think there is more than ample evidence in the Bible to support an older universe than 10,000 years old. The facts are, the only reason people ever came to that number was because they added up various genealogies in the Old Testament and right about there is what it came out to (Actually at first it was around 6,000, but that was later revised). The Bible never gives an age to the universe or tells when it was God decided to create the universe. All we read is this:

1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

Now I have to say, in closing, I think there's a reason that God doesn't bother telling us dates, and time frames for His creative activity. For the scope of the message of the Bible, it doesn't matter. It just doesn't. It's fine to investigate these things, question these things, and debate these things, but if God's the Creator, than ultimately we're just arguing about details. Can God create the universe in 6 literal days? Of course He can, He's God. Can God create the universe over vast periods of time? Sure He can, He's God. The point of the story is not these issues.

The point of the story is of God's creating a perfect universe, man the pinnacle of His creation rebelling against Him and thereby ruining that perfect creation, God coming down in Jesus Christ to redeem this rebellious man, one day restoring and renewing the creation that was lost, perfecting it once again to His glory forever and ever. That's the focus folks; keep your eyes on Christ, don't be intimidated by science, but don't worry about it either. No matter which scientific theory springs to life, Jesus still rose from the dead and is coming back again. That's a fact.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

THINKING CHRISTIANLY: DEVELOPING BIBLICAL THINKING IN ALL OF LIFE

"SHARING", "BORROWING", AND "STEALING"

You might wonder why I would choose to go on to this topic after spending the last two weeks discussing politics! Are they related in any way? In one sense we could answer yes, because all of what we hold to be true and false, right and wrong about the world comes from the same ultimate source: God's Word, the Bible. But in another sense, I have to tell you there was no connection in my mind between the topics of politics and pirated movies, music, etc. It was just the next issue that I thought might be relevant to go over; that's all.

So then, what are we to make of people "borrowing" or "sharing" music, movies, television, software, etc.that they have not been given permission to "borrow" or "share"? Does the Bible have anything to say about Computer ethics? Why, yes, as a matter of fact it does. Here it is, you ready?

"DO NOT STEAL"

(Exodus 20:15, Leviticus 19:11, Matthew 19:18, Mark 10:19, Luke 18:20, Romans 2:21, Romans 13:9, Ephesians 4:28)

I know, I know, so you're saying, "I know stealing is wrong, but is this really stealing? I mean they charge so much money for their music anyway, it's like they're stealing from us! Besides who's gonna notice?" To address this objection, let me dissect it a bit:

1. If you feel that the music, or movie producers are charging too much for their product, the great thing is you don't have to buy it! Guess what will happen if enough people don't buy their product? They will bring their price down to get you to buy it.

2. The "Who's gonna notice" argument is one of the worst ways to justify anything ethically. Whether something is right or wrong is not based on who's gonna know, but on whether it coincides with God's moral law. (BTW, in this case, many people notice, because as studios bring in less income, they then have to let go of employees at the lowest levels; it's not the "rich fat-cats" that get hurt folks, it's the Joe Delivery Driver types that suffer.).

If a person doesn't give you permission to eat out of their refrigerator, and you decide to take just a little nibble, because "they won't notice", you're a thief. The same rationale goes for what you download on the internet. If you have not been given permission from the producers to watch a film for free and you watch it for free, you are stealing. If you have not been given permission from the producers to listen to a band for free and you listen to it for free, you are a thief. What's the solution then? Two words; are you ready?

STOP IT

2 Corinthians 6:9-11

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Stealing stuff isn't you anymore Christian; get rid of it and don't do it anymore....

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

The Two Kingdoms in America

GOD'S POLITICS? PART VIII

"...OF THE PEOPLE, BY THE PEOPLE, AND FOR THE PEOPLE..."

Just to recap a bit, here's what we've learned so far in our studies of the Bible's teaching on politics:

1. The State is a "minister of God, appointed by God" to serve justice and protect people from evil. Those in Government may not be conscious that they're God's ministers, nonetheless, He uses them to accomplish His sovereign purposes over history. (Romans 13)

2. The Church is not the State, and vice versa. They are two distinct kingdoms both ruled by God in different ways. The Kingdom of Man is ruled by justice and vengeance against the evildoer. The Kingdom of God offers grace and mercy to the evildoer through faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we submit to the governing authorities as God's servants, praying for them, and following their laws. The only time that we cannot submit to the government is if they call us to do something sinful before God. At that moment, we must resist peacefully, but resist we must (Acts 5).

3. The Christian is a member of both Kingdoms and has certain callings in each. We are called to be "in...but not of" the world. Christians are called not to conform to the culture, or collapse to the culture, or conquer the culture, but to contribute to the culture in various ways.

With all that being said, in our final posting describing a Christian's view of politics, it would be a good thing to discuss how this all applies to us Americans. After all, we live in a different sort of society than the Roman Empire of Paul's day. We are a country that is ruled "by the people, and for the people." How does this change things, if at all? For the answers to that question, let me turn your attention to a wonderful writer named Gene Veith. His insights on all this two kingdom stuff has been very helpful to me, and I hope they are to you too. In his book "God At Work," he summarizes the issue this way:

Just as there are many kinds of nations in the world, each with its own laws, there are many kinds of rulers. Emperors, kings, tribal chieftains-these are all offices Christians are enjoined to obey. There is another kind of ruler, though, the kind found in the Untied States and other democratic systems. This gives Romans 13 a special twist for Americans and others who live under a democratic republic. Our governing officials are not imposed on us from above. Rather, we elect our governing officials. Ultimately we rule them. In a democratic system the "people" rule. Their leaders are accountable to the citizens, who enact their own laws through their elected representatives and who are endowed by their laws with the task of self-government.

Those who have been blessed by a calling to live in the United States or another free country have a more complicated vocation of citizenship than do those who live under a monarchy. In a democratic society citizens are still subjects, but at the same time they are rulers.

An American president is, indeed, a "governing authority" to which we should submit; but he is by no stretch of the principles a king. We should submit to the office, in that we obey the laws he is supposed to execute, but he cannot require citizens to do whatever he commands. Our Constitution does not give him that power. He is neither the source of law nor the interpreter of law. The public elects the President from a field of candidates. Submission to hi authority cannot include always voting for him. Nor can it mean refusing to criticize him. In our legal and political system, the people must assess the President's performance and that of other elected officials; otherwise it would be impossible to have a democratic republic.

Those called to be American citizens, therefore, have a Romans 13 obligation to take an active part in their government. Christians should indeed obey the laws, pay their taxes, and honor- and pray for (1 Timothy 2:2)- their governing officials. Feelings of patriotism and acts of civic mindedness are fitting responses to the blessings God has given this country and to the citizenship to which He has called them. But the calling to citizenship also includes active involvement in their nation and in their government: voting, debating issues, grass-roots politics, and civic activism.

Christians who mobilize for pro-life causes-even when this means criticizing officials and working to change laws- are acting in their divine vocation as citizens. Christians who, like the prophets, challenge the evils in their societies, including those perpetuated by their officials or their institutions , are acting in their divine vocations as citizens. So are Christians running for the local school board, demonstrating at the statehouse, going to precinct meetings, and voting for the candidates who best reflect their beliefs.

This emphatically does not mean turning the church into a political action committee or confusing the spiritual work of the Gospel with the political arm of the state. Christian political activism falls under the vocation of citizenship-not the vocation of faith; and it is important not to confuse the different callings. But Christians are called to be engaged not just in government but in their cultures as a whole, working, through their various vocations, to make their country, if only in a small way, a better place for their neighbors. (Cited from Gene Veith's God At Work, pg. 113-114.)

Tomorrow we'll begin digging into specific issues. I think we'll look at how a Christian Worldview informs our beliefs and values in regard to "pirated" movies, music, etc.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

Come and See...

Come And See- Inviting our Neighbor to Jesus from Erick Sorensen on Vimeo.

God's Politics? Part VII

"DISOBEYING CIVILLY"

Yesterday we began go over when (if ever) it is okay for a Christian to disobey the Governing authorities. Based on the Scriptures, the general rule is that we are to submit to the governing authorities, pay our taxes, honor our leaders and pray for them; our Government and those who serve in it are ordained by God and are as the Epistle to the Romans states it "his ministers" whether conscious of it or not.

That being established, we did see that it is possible and indeed sometimes necessary for Christians to disobey the governing authorities. We saw that always and without exception, based on Acts 5:39, that we are called to "obey God rather than man." This means that if the Government should seek to compel us to do something that would be sin against God, we must not participate; we're called to resist.

As examples of Christian resistance I brought up the scenario of different people living under German rule during World War II. I promised that from their stories we'd seek to glean some insight on this Godly civil disruption. So, here are three examples during World War II of Christians dealing with unjust and ungodly governments:

1. Joe German (My nickname for the average citizen of Germany during World War II)- The average citizens of Germany before and during World War II were not rabid anti-Semites and racists ,foaming at the mouth for the blood of Jews and Gypsy's. Heinrich Himmler, Goebbels and Hitler were, but not the average German (this is why we never have arrested the average Nazi soldier, and ended up leaving most of the German citizenry alone after the War). The average German probably wanted good for his family, prosperity for his nation, and overall comfort. The average German was a Christian no doubt.

Yet from this overwhelmingly Christian nation, Hitler was allowed to come to power and to stay in power! How did this happen? Answer: They just did what they were told. The Church as a matter of fact, used Romans 13 to justify not doing anything about Hitler and the Nazi's; the people agreed, and so even if they didn't personally like Hitler, and didn't like handing over Jews to the military, in order to be compliant, they just did.

That is the first way we can deal with injustice in our governing authorities: just put our head down and follow the rules (even if the rules are unjust and murderous). Of course the problem with this is at some point, a person becomes complicit in following the injustice of the government right? At the point that the government starts taking Jews away, doesn't the Christian have a higher obligation to save life than to follow the "laws" of the ungodly government of Hitler? At this point I would say "We must obey God rather than men" applies. Christians must do something.

It's easy to condemn the Joe Germans from our vantage point for not rising up and doing something. And yet for some of them, I'm convinced they were seeking to even be faithful to the Bible in Romans 13 in their not doing anything; they were just badly misled (that's why this issue is so important).

2. Dietrich Bonhoeffer- The second way some Christians dealt with Hitler was to pursue his death, to assassinate him. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was one of these. He was a Pastor and Theologian by training and profession and had always been a critic of Hitler's. But as the war went on he became convinced that Hitler's government was so wicked and unjust that it was his Christian duty to fight back in some way. Indeed, he did join a group that sought to assassinate Hitler (and failed). He was caught by the Nazi authorities, was imprisoned for nearly two years and in April 1945, about a month before Germany would surrender, Bonhoeffer was hanged.

What would you say to Bonhoeffer? Was he following the principle of "obeying God rather than man," by seeking Hitler's death? Can a government become so evil, so corrupt (as Hitler's government was) that the Christian's responsibility is to overthrow it at all costs? If so, where do you find the justification biblically for Christian armed resistance? Frankly, I wrestle with this, and I'm not sure what the answer is. On the one hand, I don't believe that Hitler would have or could have been defeated by singing "Give Peace a Chance." There needed to be armed resistance against him, no doubt about it. On the other hand, does the Christian citizen ever have the option of bringing that armed resistance? Nations absolutely have this right if it's for the protection of their citizens, but do individual Christians have this right, biblically speaking?

Bonhoeffer is one of my personal heroes, so to even probe about the rightness of his actions is tough for me, but in order to be biblically faithful, we have to deal with it. When is Christian armed resistance appropriate? (not working as a soldier for a government; working as a soldier in armed resistance can be a calling from God to serve your neighbor (Romans 13:4-6)

3. Corrie Ten Boom- The third way some Christians dealt with Hitler was to secretly rebel. This was the method of people like Corrie Ten Boom. In case you haven't heard of her, let me give you a bit of background. Corrie came from a very devout Christian family in the Netherlands who during the early 40's hid Jews and other resistance fighters in their home from the Nazi's. For close to two years when the authorities would come by, they would hide their "guests" in a secret room. Eventually, the family was caught and placed in Concentration camps. While in there, Corrie's father and sister both died. Eventually, Corrie would be released and for many, many years would share her story of God's faithfulness and love for her in spite of all that went wrong.

Now, technically speaking, the Ten Boom's were rebelling (by lying) against the authorities. But they were rebelling to save innocent people's lives; they were seeking to "obey God rather than men." It seems to me that as Christians this method of rebellion against the authorities, is probably the most biblically balanced (?). On the one hand, it is not violent resistance. On the other hand it is not just putting our heads down and obeying evil leaders. It is resisting the government (hiding Jews) while turning the cheek at the same time (going to jail for it).

This was obviously the method of Dr. Martin Luther King as well in his quest for civil rights; peaceful, non-violent resistance toward the unjust laws of the land. Speaking about this fine balance, he said:

"An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law."

Next week we'll wrap up our devotions on politics with a look at living as a Christian in America where the nation is "ruled by the people, of the people and for the people." Do we still have to submit in the same way?

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST....GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

GOD'S POLITICS? PART VI

GOD'S POLITICS? PART VI

"WE MUST OBEY GOD RATHER THAN MEN"

Alright, so I've been promising for awhile now that we would have at least a day devoted to the topic of civil disobedience. Not that I think there are many of you just chomping at the bit to be civilly disobedient, but I don't think you can really address the topic of "God's Politics" without discussing the issue. After all, the Bible's statements about the role of government don't seem to allow much room for lawbreaking:

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. (Romans 13:1-2)

And yet, didn't the early Christians resist the law that told them they must worship Caesar? Chinese Christians today resist the laws of their land by smuggling in illegal Bibles all the time don't they? Converting to Jesus, according to law in Saudi Arabia is punishable by death, yet are there not still some Arabian Christians (at least in hiding)? These folks were and are by definition being disobedient to the civil authorities. How do we reconcile this disobedience with what we read in Romans 13?

The answer is found in one little verse in Acts 5:39. In this story, Peter and John are dragged before the Jewish ruling council, the Sanhedrin for preaching Jesus' name. The Sanhedrin demanded that the Apostles stop preaching Jesus at once, to which Peter and the Apostles answered, "We must obey God rather than men." That's it, and yet the implications of this verse have been far reaching. For the Apostles and us, it would be disobedient to God to stop preaching Jesus' name, and so because the law of God is higher than their law, the law of God wins out. So here's the principle: If the governing authorities ever call you to do anything that is called sin in God's word, than you have an obligation to resist them.

(Now I have to give a word of caution here, because people define "sin" in all sorts of ways and use this verse to pull all sorts of shenanigans. As much as we may not like taxes, we are to "pay what we owe" to the government; the government is not forcing us to do something sinful by telling us to pay taxes ( you may have sinful thoughts spring up in your heart when you see how much they're taking from you, but that's another issue entirely :). If the government tells you that a certain kind of weapon is now outlawed, then you must get rid of the weapon. If you believe it's an encroachment on your freedom, then work to get someone elected into office that will work to make it legal again. This is the way it works folks.)

That being said, what does Christian civil disobedience look like then?

Let's say you were a Christian woman living in China and the authorities tell you that you must abort (murder) your baby because the child is female (this is real by the way, the real law of the land known as the "one child only" policy), what would it look like to put this principle of obeying God rather than men into practice? Of course, it would mean a refusal to abort.

Let's say a society demands that you treat black citizens as less than human, by forcing them to drink from different fountains, go to different schools, and sit in different seats. As a Christian who believes all men are created in the image of God and are therefore completely equal, you have an obligation to "obey God rather than men," so what would that look like? Now things are getting a little more sticky and complicated. According to federal law in this country, you can protest. You can organize rallies and speakers to come and speak against the injustice; you can refuse to shop at stores that would segregate against people because of the color of their skin; you can vote for politicians that will work to end this injustice through legislation.

Let's say you're a Christian living in Germany in the 1930's and you see Hitler come to power. Slowly but surely he reveals just how evil his plans are for Jews, for Gypsy's, for Gays, for Catholics, etc., etc. What do you do? To sit by and follow the laws of the land, you are allowing a tyrant to kill millions. There is no free speech and so if you try and organize a protest, all of you will be arrested. The vote is completely rigged in Hitler's favor; you can't obey this government's laws that tell you all Jews must be handed over, taken away to "worker camps" i.e. death camps. As a Christian, how do you obey God rather than men in this circumstance?

Tomorrow, we'll show how three different people involved in World War II answered this question, and hopefully through their stories gain some more insight into how it is we "obey God rather than men."

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Erick

RECEIVING FROM CHRIST...GROWING IN CHRIST....GOING WITH CHRIST....

GOD'S POLITICS? PART V

CHRISTIANITY AND CULTURE

Before going any further, I wanted to make sure and clarify something I said in the previous post. I gave as an example of the Kingdoms colliding the Glenn Beck conference held this last weekend. Now, let me be clear: I am not commenting on Beck's politics, or for that matter his opponent's politics. That's not my job. What I am commenting on is the idea of the conference itself. The idea of the conference was that what this country needs is "religious revival" in order for things to change. I don't disagree with this sentiment; a true spiritual revival is a good thing.

The part I think we Christians need to be wary of is what the components of this "religious revival" are. If the country merely has a "religious revival" but that revival is not centered on Jesus Christ (not some vague God figure, not some Great Ethic, but the Jesus of the Bible), than as Christians we are placing our hope in something that isn't Biblical. Here's the point: As Christians we shouldn't be concerned with making Muslims better Muslims, or Mormons better Mormons, we should be concerned with converting Muslims and Mormons to Christianity. True spiritual revival has to start with the True Spirit.

Now on political matters, as an individual citizen, I may partner up with Muslims, Mormons, Wiccans, etc, etc, for what I believe is the common good of society. We may all agree that Euthanasia is wrong and therefore band together politically to stop it. But this is not religious revival, it is neighborly responsibility. Remember, Two Kingdoms.

Alright let's move on:

Historically there have been 4 ways the Church has related to the Culture (by default this includes the State). Each has their strengths and weaknesses as we shall see. They can be summed up in four words: Conquer, Conform, Collapse, and Contribute

1. Conquer- In this view, the Church sees the State as something to rule over. This view is best epitomized by the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and the European States throughout the Middle Ages. However, it certainly was not started by them; it has always been a temptation for the religious to take over the State. After all if this is God's world, than His people should rule over everything, right? Those with this view in America are constantly calling for the Church "to take this nation back for Christ!" or some other slogan. The Religious Right and the Religious Left often fall prey to this view, believing if they can just get the right legislation passed, the right person in office, etc. than it will alleviate society's problems. The problem with this view of course is that the Church is never once in the New Testament called to "take back a culture for Christ." It's called to preach the Gospel to all creatures, but not to pass legislation. If a culture is taken back for Christ, it is because individuals of that culture are being saved by Him and having their hearts changed by Him.

2. Conform- The second view of culture is most often seen among Liberal Protestants (when I say Liberal here, I'm not talking about their politics, but their theology) and it is that we must conform to our culture. In this view, the only way the Church is seen as "relevant" is if it looks like, talks like, and acts like the culture around them. Rather than preaching Biblical standards and norms, this group preaches the culture's standards and norms. In this way of course the Church loses it's distinctive as salt and light. Unfortunately, this has become more of the norm for Evangelical churches of late as well. It's one thing to be relevant with our music, clothes, etc., but the message is unchanging.

3. Collapse- The third view has been to collapse from the culture, or to say it another way, escape. This has been the chosen view of "Fundamentalists," or Quakers. We dress different, we listen to different music, we completely disengage from the evil world. Unfortunately, this again ignores the call for Christians to be "in the world, but not of the world." We can't escape, but rather must influence, inspire, and actively seek the best for our neighbor, unbelieving and believing.

4. Contribute- Finally, the fourth view of Christians and Culture seeks to find the balance. This is the Two Kingdoms view, which we have laboriously gone over. In this view the Christian contributes to society through his/her good works. We make music, make films, produce art, eat at restaurants, work hard, vote, watch other's kids, etc. all for the benefit of our neighbor. We do this as a citizen of wherever we live. On the other hand, in our relationship to God, we passively receive His grace and mercy, His gifts through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our relationship there is based on faith alone. Remember: Two Kingdoms.

Tomorrow, we finally talk about Civil Disobedience as Christians, and then we move on to specific World View Topics...

Soli Deo Gloria,

Pastor Erick